In the previous days we looked at how the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives leads us to preach the good news, heal broken hearts, and set the captives free. Today we want to focus on how His presence can lead us to aid in the recovery of sight to the blind.

Our guiding questions for today’s devotional are:

1. Who are the blind?
2. How can their sight be recovered?

There are two types of blindness: physical blindness and spiritual blindness. Both of these are referenced in the Bible, with either one of these being healed through Jesus Christ (for example Mark 10:46-52, Matthew 9:27). Jesus demonstrated His power to heal the eyes of the blind – and we believe He still has the power to heal people today. Jesus also often faced those who were spiritually  blind, and there is a big chance we do too. Simply put: spiritual blindness is not perceiving the truth of the Gospel. In the New Testament, some of those who were blind were the Pharisees and Sadducees (religious leaders), who because of their religiosity and self-righteousness could not see the Messiah standing before them. Many times these religious leaders reprimanded Jesus for healing and teaching (for example in John 9:16) and rejected the words He spoke. Their willful rejection of Jesus led Him to describe their blindness as guilt in John 9:41: “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say “we see”, your guilt remains.” They claimed to know the truth, yet they did not, which made them blind. But others in the Bible were first ignorant to who Jesus was, walking in sin, which also made them blind to the light that comes from the Gospel. We see this when we look at Paul’s life, for example, who persecuted Christians until Christ Himself revealed who He was. This encounter with the Truth changed everything (Acts 9:3-6). The scriptures use blindness as an analogy to someone’s ignorance of the Gospel. There are many descriptions of the Kingdom of Light (1 John 1:5-7) and the light Christ brings to our vision (Matthew 6:22), showing that accepting Jesus opens the eyes and sheds one’s whole being with light.

The scripture says in John 14:6 that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This statement of faith is connected to the recovery of sight to the blind. When Jesus speaks with a person, He reveals the truth of His nature, and in doing so, highlights their iniquities. He always does this in love – and it is His kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). The recovery of spiritual blindness takes place when we accept the words of the Gospel and make them dwell within our hearts. This is when the “scales fall off our eyes” and we “see for the first time” (Acts 9:18, John 9:25). The truth of the Gospel fills us with enlightenment; knowing more of Christ and who we are in Him (Ephesians 1:18), therefore recovering our sight. 

All of us see in part, as the scripture says (1 Corinthians 13:12). This shows that there are parallels to our faith and the depth we have in knowing Jesus. When we come to Christ, our blindness is recovered by a heavenly sight. We cannot claim to have seen everything, though, as this comes with experience and expectation to see more of the Lord. While we see in part, there are others who currently are walking in darkness (who have not given their lives to Christ); they are not able to see. Maybe we know someone who is tearing the Gospel apart, unable to see the worth behind our faith. Maybe someone comes to mind who thinks living apart from the knowledge of God is their ultimate freedom. Maybe you know a person who is physically blind and they do not know that there is a God who can heal them physically. When you are in Christ, and He is your Lord, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, giving you everything you need to speak life and healing over that person. God has made us co-heirs with Christ, which means we have access to the same power Jesus has, when we stand under His lordship. The scriptures encourage us to pray for healing, and for the turning away from sin by declaring: For nothing shall be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Do you believe this today? So walk and pray in faith, emboldened by the Spirit, to go to those around you!

Let us pray:  

Heavenly Father, thank you for taking the scales off our eyes so we can see You. Continue to shed your light in our lives so that we can follow after you. Holy Spirit, give us the boldness to go to people and pray for You to recover their sight. Heal those who we know who are spiritually blind. Let them have an encounter with you, which brings them to see. You say in your word that you are a healer. We pray for those we know who are blind also. Extend your grace upon them. Thank you for who you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflections:

• Who can you pray for today to receive recovery of sight?
• Do you believe in the power for Jesus to heal today? Why or why not? [When we grapple with a specific question in the Bible, it is best to seek the answers with the fullness of His Word.]
• What would happen if we yielded our prayers to the Lord when praying for others, and we actually saw someone healed?